Daily Mass Readings – Thursday, 24 February 2028

1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl in your miseries, which shall come upon you.

2 Your riches are corrupted: and your garments are motheaten.

3 Your gold and silver is cankered: and the rust of them shall be for a testimony against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up to yourselves wrath against the last days.

4 Behold the hire of the labourers, who have reaped down your fields, which by fraud has been kept back by you, crieth: and the cry of them hath entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

5 You have feasted upon earth: and in riotousness you have nourished your hearts, in the day of slaughter.

6 You have condemned and put to death the Just One, and he resisted you not.

R. (Matthew 5:3) Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

14 This way of theirs is a stumblingblock to them: and afterwards they shall delight in their mouth.

15ab They are laid in hell like sheep: death shall feed upon them.

R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

15cd The just shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their help shall decay in hell from their glory.

16 But God will redeem my soul from the hand of hell, when he shall receive me.

R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

17 Be not thou afraid, when a man shall be made rich, and when the glory of his house shall be increased.

18 For when he shall die he shall take nothing away; nor shall his glory descend with him.

R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

19 For in his lifetime his soul will be blessed: and he will praise thee when thou shalt do well to him.

20 He shall go in to the generations of his fathers: and he shall never see light.

R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

13 Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

41 For whosoever shall give you to drink a cup of water in my name, because you belong to Christ: amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.

42 And whosoever shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me; it were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

43 And if thy hand scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life, maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into unquenchable fire:

44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.

45 And if thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter lame into life everlasting, than having two feet, to be cast into the hell of unquenchable fire:

46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.

47 And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out. It is better for thee with one eye to enter into the kingdom of God, than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire:

48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.

49 For every one shall be salted with fire: and every victim shall be salted with salt.

50 Salt is good. But if the salt became unsavoury; wherewith will you season it? Have salt in you, and have peace among you.

God’s word unsettles every false measure of security. Riches that are hoarded, garments that decay, and wages withheld from laborers cannot provide lasting life; the Lord hears the cry of those who are wronged. The psalm places this warning beside a quiet hope: earthly glory ends at death, but God can redeem the soul. The poor in spirit are free to receive the Kingdom because they do not treat possessions or status as their salvation.

Jesus gives this teaching a personal edge. A cup of water offered because someone belongs to Christ matters to God, while anything that causes a believer—especially a little one—to stumble must be taken seriously. His strong words about hand, foot, and eye call for decisive conversion: we must remove whatever we knowingly use for sin, injustice, or harm. Receiving the word as truly God’s word means allowing it to judge our choices. “Have salt in you, and have peace among you”: a life seasoned by Christ will show itself in generous care, honest dealings, and the courage to surrender what keeps us from the Kingdom.

Lord Jesus, make me poor in spirit, trusting in your Kingdom rather than in possessions, recognition, or comfort. Give me a conscience attentive to the cry of those who are treated unjustly, and teach me to honor the work and dignity of others. Show me clearly whatever in my hands, feet, or eyes leads me away from you, and give me courage to remove it. May even the smallest act of kindness offered in your name become a faithful witness. Keep your salt alive in me, so that I may preserve goodness and live in peace with others. Amen.